Thunder ripped across the sky, the heavy, dark clouds lighting up briefly as lightning followed soon after. The sky had yet to spill a single drop of rain, but from the look of it that wouldn't take long to happen. Despite the continued haste, Murasaki and his group were continually growing worried. They weren't close enough to be able to sense the princess, and if it began pouring rain like the sky threatened, the scent would be gone.

Looking over his shoulder, Murasaki could easily note the worry on Hinata's face, and even though he couldn't see Shino's face, the tense set of his shoulders said that he was worried as well. Murasaki looked back forward. Kiba was dutifully running, him and Akamaru focused almost solely on the scent of the princess.

"Kiba," from the slight twitch of his ear, Murasaki knew that Kiba had heard him, "do you think we could pick up the pace a little?"

"I can't guarantee the accuracy I'll follow the trail with, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

The gears turned in Murasaki's head as he heard this. It was the middle of the day after they had found the trail, and they had traveled through the night in an attempt to catch the princess faster. By Kiba's estimate, Princess Kou had passed through as recently as two days before, which meant they were gaining fast.

"Let's speed up then. We know the general direction they're headed, and if we get close enough Hinata and I should be able to sense them." Kiba looked over his shoulder briefly, then nodded.

They sped up, just as the first fat drops of rain started to spill from the clouds.

_+_

Aoi was trapped, not by any physical entity, but by the etiquette that seemed to bind any movements he made. Rain was falling heavily outside, the pattering sound more like a rush of water spilling onto and off of the rooftops. Because of this rain, Aoi was forced to interact with the other nobles trapped in the palace as well. The current entertainment was a performance by a trio of men, one playing the fiddle while the other two sang. For the most part they were ignored, more than anything just background noise.

Disguised as Princess Kou, Aoi was standing slightly behind the lord of the palace as different topics were flying through the room. Right now a relatively plainly dressed, compared to the other royals, man was speaking to them, the topic being none other than the unrelenting rain. A servant stepped into the room, quickly closing the door that led outside behind him. The water was practically a wall, promising to drench any who took even a step into it.

The servant walked quickly over, bowing low before Aoi and his 'father.' The man that had been speaking with them wandered off, quickly jumping into conversation with another group. "My Lord, I have a message for you." With a quick gesture, the messenger was urged on. "Princess Kou's fiancee has arrived."

"In this rain?" Shock was plain on his face at the news.

"It appears that they set out early this morning, and were caught in the rain. As they were already so close to the palace, the decided to continue on instead of waiting to see if it would clear." The servant bowed again. "They have already been shown to their rooms, and I came immediately to inform you of the situation."

"I see. Make sure they are properly taken care of. Once they are settled in, I shall meet with them. Keep me informed on the subject."

"Of course, my lord." The man backed away, exiting the room as he had entered. The lord turned to Aoi, lowering his head slightly so he was whispering in Aoi's ear. "Go to your room for now, I would like you to avoid my daughter's fiancee for as long as possible. Don't leave that room unless it is absolutely necessary."

Aoi nodded his head, leaving the room through a door that would take him to an indoor hall. As he walked down the hallway he was joined on both sides by Kodomo and Ryo. Neither said a word as the trio wound their way through the seemingly endless hallways.

_+_

As the rain got heavier, Murasaki had been forced to seek shelter. It was a good thing they decided this when they did, for only a little ways away from where they were was a massive tree. One next to it had gradually grown, and whether from wind or other factors, it grew at an angle that now its branches intertwined with the other. All four settled down in the small spot, only a drop or two finding its way downward to splash on the ground.

"Well this is just great. Beaten by the weather." Kiba had his back against the tree, staring out at the sheets of endless rain.

Nobody said anything, and sat in various places around the clearing. Hinata and Shino sat near the middle, Kiba a few paces off still leaning on the tree. Murasaki was sitting, or more accurately kneeling, and facing away from everyone. It wasn't exactly a tense camp, but the silence made it seem like it was.

Finally, Kiba could take it no longer, and turned to Murasaki. "So what do we do now? Their trail will surely be gone after this rain, and both Hinata's and Shino's jutsu are basically useless in the downpour as well." Murasaki didn't reply, and didn't even twitch to show he had heard Kiba. "Murasaki, what are you doing?" Pushing off the tree, Kiba walked the few steps over to Murasaki, practically towering over him.

Sighing in irritation, the violet haired boy looked up, staring into Kiba's eyes. "Why couldn't you just hold still?" Murasaki said it quietly, but Kiba's trained ears picked it up nonetheless.

"What are you doing? Ever since we came here you've just sat there."

"Kiba, have you ever heard of concentration?" Kiba opened his mouth to reply, but before he could Murasaki spoke again. "Just go sit over by that tree, and don't move. I'm trying to expand on how far I can see, and people moving doesn't help. The fact that it's raining means that nearly all the animals aren't moving as well, so it's easier."

"You're trying to find the princess? We don't know how far she is from us, all that effort could be useless." Kiba looked down at Murasaki with widened eyes.

"We won't know until we try, now will we?" With that Murasaki turned away, closing his eyes in concentration.

A silence again stretched between the four, but instead all eyes were focused on Murasaki. Though he had backed off a pace or two, Kiba still stood next to Murasaki. Which is why, an hour later, Kiba saw a brief twitch of Murasaki's eyebrows. Then his eyes flew open, just as a scream hit everyone's ears muffled only slightly through the rain.

"W-what was that?" Hinata stood up, a hand on her chest staring at the direction the scream came from.

Murasaki looked back at the group. "I think I found the princess, not to mention a few bandits. Are you guys alright fighting in the rain?" There was some hesitation from Hinata, but eventually everyone nodded. "Let's get going then, there is no time to waste. She's a couple kilometers from us, directly to the west."

The second they stepped into the rain, they were almost immediately drenched. Putting that aside, they all ran faster than before, trailing behind Murasaki this time as they followed him ever closer to the supposed princess. When they got within one hundred meters of where Murasaki sensed the princess, they heard a grinding sound that was all to familiar. Metal on metal. With a quick signal from Murasaki, they all spread out slightly, speeding into the clearing.

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino all hesitated a slight moment to take in the scene, but Murasaki shot ahead, already prepared and knowing what was happening. Through the wall of rain, eight distinct figures could be made out, with one standing behind the another against a tree, as the one they were hiding behind had his arms raised and was warding off an attack. The other five were in a rough semicircle, brandishing weapons as they faked jabs at the two.

Murasaki was the first into battle, sliding on the wet ground, he managed to still knock the lead attacker's feet from under him. The man fell, giving Murasaki enough time to return to his feet and take out two long, metal sticks that were strapped to the side of his left leg. There was a dull sheen coming off of them, as the unblemished surface trailed water down them, soaking the cloth wrappings that Murasaki was holding. He held them up, one in each hand, in a threatening manner.

One of the bandits laughed, brandishing a sword that gleamed brightly. "You think you can take us on with a pair of sticks? You are one foolish little boy."

"I would rather not cause you any harm, give up while you can." As Murasaki said this, Hinata and her team appeared at his side. All except Kiba and Akamaru holding a kunai in hand.

The man launched himself forward, "As if!" Swinging upward, it was clear that the man had every intention of killing Murasaki, but without hesitation he crossed the two weapons, effectively stopping the sword mid swing. Not expecting the unremitting force put on the sword the man stumbled a step before regaining his balance.

After the first attack, the rest of the bandits launched themselves forward, descending upon the four shinobi. One went to continue the attack on the two, but from the looks of it, the protector could hold his own easily one on one. The circumstances were clearly not in the shinobi's favor, the rain keeping Shino and Hinata at a handicap. While Shino was competent fighting without his bugs, Hinata struggled some. She had her byakugan activated, but it was far less effective, though it did save her life on more than one occasion. Kiba fought mercilessly against the bandit before him using his jutsu more freely, and it was beyond clear that he would be the winner.

Murasaki, though new to the weapon held in his hands, made it clear that he was more than mediocre at using them. The speed at which he could block and launch attacks was stunning, but his opponents seemed able to keep up at least slightly. Whenever Murasaki launched an attack that would be a deciding blow, the bandit was able to dodge or block slightly, lessening the effect of the attacks.

Something unexpected caught Murasaki's attention, causing his eyes to widen. Murasaki had been so focused on his fight with the man in front of him, that he had zoned out slightly, his awareness of his surroundings dulled. Spinning and bringing up the two metal sticks he held in his hands, Murasaki tried to block the club that descended toward his head. Nature was against him though, as the muddy ground caused him to slip, and he fell to his knees, hands hitting the ground as he kept his face from hitting the dirt. He was defenseless. Pain erupted from the back of his skull, and immediately after his vision went black.

Kiba watched in horror, too slow to stop the blow that caused his comrade to now lay unconscious on the ground. He ran over, lifting a kunai to block the stroke of a sword that would have ended Murasaki's life. Shino had already taken care of the club man, and after a swift, unexpected punch to the swordsman's jaw, the fight was over.

The rain fell endlessly around the group. A sliding sound was heard as a sword was sheathed. As the two they had protected walked toward the group it, was easier to make out their figures. Hinata was beside Murasaki, checking the wound on his head, while Kiba and Shino hovered over their forms.

A woman stepped forward, her blue hair pulled back into a simple tail and her wet clothing clinging tightly to her skin. She dropped down beside the group. "Is he alright? I'm so sorry this happened, it's all my fault isn't it?" The man stood to the side, silently regarding the situation.

Hinata looked up, her lilac eyes making contact with the woman's blue ones, that held a color remarkably like a blueberry. "He seems to just be unconscious, but it will be a while until we know for sure." Shino stepped forward, catching the woman's attention.

"Are you Princess Kou?" The woman's eyes widened, but she bowed her head looking at the ground.

"I am, and I suppose that my father sent for you to find me?" There was no reply to the question, the answer already obvious. She looked out of the corner of her eye, staring at the form of her companion. "Well I suppose that I must say something first then..." She stood up, not even bothering with trying to clear the mud off of her pants. Her eyes took on a hard look, and she glared almost solely at Shino. "I'm not going back, and if you think I am, you'll have to catch me first!"

At that the woman ran off, her words not sinking in for a few seconds as the group watched her and her companion's retreating backs. Kiba's eyes widened. "Wha-? Crap, what the heck do we do?" He looked at the other two.

"Hinata, stay here and watch over Murasaki, Kiba and I will go after the princess." Hinata nodded, sounding off a small, but strong, yes at Shino's orders. The two boys took off, following quickly in the direction they had seen the princess last.

Opening her pack, Hinata pulled out a wrap, covering the lightly bleeding wound on Murasaki's head. He didn't stir as she dragged him under the relative cover of a tree, and she sat next to him worriedly checking the bandage every few moments, though it did nothing to calm her nerves. Thunder sounded in the distance, making her jump slightly. Her gaze fell again to the unconscious boy beside her. The only thing she could do now was wait, either for Murasaki to wake up or for her teammates to return.

_+_

Bah-dah! All done! I hope you enjoyed the chapter ^.^ I meant to post this last night, but being as it's the Fourth of July, fireworks were launched in the air. It isn't like I watched them or anything, no, I was to busy trying to get my psychotic dog to calm down and stop running around the house. She is cute though, and once she calmed down and fell asleep, I was too tired that I fell asleep on top of her. And that brings us to today... I have a question, that while small will impact the story a little bit, so here we go.

Would you rather I use the metric system or the royal (I'm not sure if it's called that or not, but feet, inches, etc) system when I talk about distances?

I'm partial to the metric system myself, even though I live in America, because it makes sense. I just don't want to jump from system to system when I have to talk about distances and such. If you don't care, that's fine, I'll probably just use metric from now on. Now the real question.

If you had to do something daily that you don't already do (like eating, sleeping, internet, etc.) what would it be? Try to be as improbable as possible.

Anyways, I entered this story in a contest the other day. It's purely fanfiction, and I'm sure there will be some amazing entries. I recommend checking it out, maybe entering your own work into it. It's called Anime Fanfic Tournament and the user who created it is Mathias2001 so check it out. It's also in my library. There are fanifics of Attack on Titan, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tale, and I saw one for Corpse Party, so it's pretty open. I'd love to compete against you, as there are still a few slots open, and remember to vote for the best one if you do check it out one day! ^.^ With that, I'm out, so peace!

-Nicky~